Places to Go, Things to Do

Music all over the place; other things too

One of the things you can be sure of when summer comes, there'll be plenty of musical events to attend. Many of them are free.

June is the month that starts the summer vacation time and that's when lots of outdoor activities get underway.

Every month, Young Saint Louis.com checks around to find activities and events that are built for kids and their families. In June, many other events are outdoors throughout the metro area.

First, some of the musical events:

Faust Park Summer Concert Series

The Faust Park Summer Concert Series will have five concerts on Tuesday nights at the county part in west St. Louis County. Admission is free.

The series opens Tuesday, June 2, with the Bob Kuban Band. The first concert also will be a birthday party for the City of Chesterfield. Special fireworks and a birthday cake will be included.

The other June concerts are on June 9, 16, 23 and 30.

The concerts are from 7 to 9 p.m.

For information, call (636) 532-3399 or visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.

Missouri History Museum's Twilight Tuesday concerts

The Missouri History Museum's Tuesday outdoor concerts open Tuesday, June 2, with A Jazz Cavalcade with Kirk Whalum. Another concert will be held Tuesday, June 9.

The concerts are free. Hours are 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the museum in Forest Park.

There are "make and take" activities for kids.

For information, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www.mohistory.org.

Missouri Botanical Gardens Music Festival

The Missouri Botanical Gardens' musical festival concerts will be June 3, 10, 17 and 24. Concerts are free and music starts at 7:30p.m.

The first concert will feature Peter Martin.

For information, call (314) 577-5100 or visit www.mobot.org.

Zoo's Jungle Boogie Friday Night Concerts

The St. Louis Zoo's Jungle Boogie Friday Night Concerts

will be on June 5, 12 and 26. The first concert will feature Gumbo Head.

These concerts are free. Music is from 5 to 8 p.m.

For information, call (314) 781-0900 or visit www.stlzoo.org.

Then, a couple major running events:

St. Louis Science Center's Run for the Stars

The St. Louis Science Center's Run for the Stars will be held Saturday, June 6, in downtown St. Louis.

The activities include a 5K wheelchair race, a 5K run/walk, a 10K run and a ½-mile kids run.

For information, call (314) 289-4444 or visit www.slsc.org.

Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure

The 11th annual Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure will be held Saturday, June 13, with some 50,000 runners expected to take part.

The event includes a 5K competitive run, a 5K non-competitive run/walk and a fun walk.

Proceeds for this event go to help finance breast-cancer research.

For information, call (314) 725-2592 or visit www.stlouisraceforthecure.org.

Some other activities and events:

Mastodon State Historic Site's Fossil Day

If you like to dig for fossils, there's the Fossil Day at the Mastodon State Historic Site just off I-55 at Imperial, MO, south of St. Louis.

This year's Fossil Day is a chance for you to chip away as rocks from the site to see if you can locate fossil remains. The historic site is on land that was underwater at one time.

There are special locations where you can chip away at rocks you find and see if any contain remains of prehistoric life.

The site also has a neat museum with reconstructed giant mastodons and other pre-historic life. You can hike along interpretive trails.

For information, call 1-800-334-6946 or visit www.mostateparks.com/mastodon.htm.

Kimmswick Strawberry Festival

If you like strawberries, the event for you is the Kimmswick Strawberry Festival on Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7, in Kimmswick, MO.

Strawberries end up as fresh berries, on shortcake, chocolate-covered, on cheese cake and even in tea.

There's also an area of rides for kids. For information, call (636) 464-6464 or visit www.visitkimmswick.com.

2009 Wonders of Wildlife School

The traveling Wonders of Wildlife National Outdoor Recreation and Conservation School will stop in the St. Louis area on Friday and Saturday, June 5-6.

Kids can learn more about outdoor skills, conservation, safety and ethics so they can get more out of their future outdoors experiences.

For the specific location and to register, call 1-877-245-9453. Or you can visit www.Wondersofwildlife.org.

And how about an unusual Father's Day activity:

Bug Dad on Father's Day at Butterfly House

Here's a chance to bug dad without being a pest. Take him to the Bug Day on Father's Day event at the Butterfly House in Faust Park.

Has your dad every seen a cockroach race? He can on Sunday, June 21. You even get to help your dad design the race course.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dads get a free admission with one paid admission from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For information, call (636) 530-0076 or visit www.butterflyhouse.org.

Also at Faust Park:

Faust Historical Village Open House

The Faust Historical Village will hold an Open House on Saturday and Sunday, June 20-21 and June 27-28.

Admission is free and hours are 1-5 p.m.

For information, call (636) 532-7298 or visit www.stlouisco.com/parks/.